Will I love Madhouse at the End of the Earth?

Fascinating look at early exploration of the Antarctic. Exciting and informative.

Sancton’s book about the first overwintering in Antarctica is brilliant, captivating, and intense.

I learned a tremendous amount about the region’s flora, fauna, and history and came away with a much greater understanding of Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, who survived this horrific and tragic journey in 1897 to become the first man to sail through the Northwest Passage and reach both the South and North Poles. 

I am an avid reader of maritime and polar history non-fiction, and this is one of my favourites in that genre. It follows the frightening, dramatic and sometimes violent story of the Belgica as she over-winters in the dark Antarctic night.

Julian Sancton tells the events in such a gripping and exciting way; it really feels like a thriller novel. The individual crewmen are brought to life alongside the hostile, brutal land of Antarctica which still, at this point in history, was relatively unknown.

The book brilliantly encapsulates how very much humans are at the mercy of the elements, but… show more.